Branover’s Ultimate Jew Reprinted

By COLlive reporter

A book by a longtime Chabad chossid who merited unique interactions with the Rebbe and a major activist with Chabad’s outreach with Russian speakers was reprinted this week.

The Ultimate Jew, originally published in 2003 and which has since been out of stock, was jointly written by Professor Herman Branover and the late Maariv newspaper journalist Avraham Nave.

The 391-page English book, based on the two’s previous works in Hebrew, depicts the Rebbe’s image and leadership from the points of view of an academic and a journalist, but also from the point of view of a fervent chossid such as Branover.

It explores the Rebbe’s fundamental teachings and why so many people are attracted to the Rebbe, “the most dynamic spiritual leader in the Jewish world and a man of great renown and admiration in the world at large.”

As both a magnetohydrodynamics expert and as a follower of the Rebbe, Professor Branover has had a tremendous impact on the spiritual lives of many Jews worldwide and on the scientific and economic development of the Israeli tech industry.

For many years, this physicist was privileged to have a close relationship with the Rebbe and was active in all areas of Jewish and scientific life. At the Rebbe’s instruction, he set up an employment infrastructure in Israel to serve the influx of Russian Jewish immigrants in the late 80s and early 90s.

The book begins with an overview of the origins of the chassidic movement in Russia, transitions into an illustration of the Chabad dynasty and its distinguishing features, and finally focuses on the Rebbe’s continuous influence.

The Rebbe’s fundamental teachings, his bond with his followers, his attention to matters concerning the Land of Israel, his perspective on so-called contradictions between Judaism and science — all of these and much more are addressed in The Ultimate Jew.

Perhaps most interestingly, The Ultimate Jew broadly addresses the matter of Chabad’s raptness with Moshiach and the Redemption, its centrality in the Rebbe’s teachings, and its extraordinary impact on the Jewish people and the entire world.

“My father knew how to approach the subject of Moshiach so that people can understand our ‘obsession’ with it,” says his son, businessman Danny Branover, who led the republishing and re-editing of the book, set to be released this week. “If people want a true picture of the Rebbe, who better than my father, who lived to be a Chossid, to tell the story.”

The book will be sold in leading Judaica and books stores, as well as online at Amazon.com.